in an hour. Saying they have class2 work available. Lets see what happens.
I may be a bit cynical but the last few agencies i’ve been to have said theres work available but when I get there its gone really really quiet all of a sudden. Still have me spending an hour filling in the forms however.
I just hope this one is different. 
jonah65:
in an hour. Saying they have class2 work available. Lets see what happens.I may be a bit cynical but the last few agencies i’ve been to have said theres work available but when I get there its gone really really quiet all of a sudden. Still have me spending an hour filling in the forms however.
I just hope this one is different.
just let me know if you want to borrow my flying pig gif 
Well this one may be hopeful as I should have met them on Tuesday but they phoned up to cancel saying they had lost the contract, but now they want to see me this afternoon. So fingers crossed.
they’re all a bunch of liars, loads of adverts in their windows class 2 or class 1 drivers, you go in and talk to them and there is nothing available, so how can you advertise? Surely thats false advertisement.
garnerlives:
they’re all a bunch of liars, loads of adverts in their windows class 2 or class 1 drivers, you go in and talk to them and there is nothing available, so how can you advertise? Surely thats false advertisement.
aint that a fact. 
They may be advertising in thier windows but they sure as hell aint advertising in the local papers any more. Is that cos it costs money?
jessicas dad:
garnerlives:
they’re all a bunch of liars, loads of adverts in their windows class 2 or class 1 drivers, you go in and talk to them and there is nothing available, so how can you advertise? Surely thats false advertisement.aint that a fact.
Not really
its no different to currys advertising something and then telling you 2 days to deliver as its not kept in stock
how many times have you walked in for a job anywhere and they say we’ll let you know in a week ■■
As for agencys they have checks to do ie licence checks and yes I know they can call dvla and get it checked while you wait all they are saying is we have jobs to fill at times so register and if anything comes in that we cant fill we’ll call you now that aint false advertising
You’re about as much use as Anne Franks drum kit
garnerlives, this is in very poor taste. No doubt you are aware of how Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and also the death of her sister Margot. No way should a joke be made of this. Nothing personal garnerlives just my opinion Apologies for going off topic.
Tiger.
PS In reference to my mention of a ‘a one legged arse kicking contest’. My Dad has one leg, lost during the war. He makes a great joke of asking a complete stranger directions to the ‘one legged arse kicking contest’, the difference being he’s alive. Anne Frank is not.
Agencies have to do license checks with you present, as the DVLA need your verbal consent to give the consultant your endorsements, probably to do with DPA i’d guess.
I’m not making a joke about AF’s death its merely a saying which I have now taken into my phrasiology, as anne frank had no use for a drumkit obviously due to the hiding. Its like a ww2 themed chocolate fireguard/motorbike ashtray saying, if it offends you then I do apologise for that, however it’s there and it’s staying!
It aint all bad, I registered with a new agency about a month ago and they managed to give me 2 days class1 work the first week, 1 day class1 the next, then a dead week, but then last week a full 5 days (all class 2) and an offer of a class1 shift on the saturday (but I was busy), this week a full 5 days (all class 2), and they’ve offered me mon/tue/wed next week too.
I thought I was wasting my time but so far so good!
Paul
A llways
G etting
E veryonone
N o
C ontracts
Y early
that the best i can come up with
garnerlives:
they’re all a bunch of liars, loads of adverts in their windows class 2 or class 1 drivers, you go in and talk to them and there is nothing available, so how can you advertise? Surely thats false advertisement.
At one agency I’m with, the person I deal with openly admitted that they were doing that as they had recruitment targets to meet. Said person agreed with me about its stupidity but sadly those were the rules they had to work with.
Advertising 
Great 
Employment
No 
Conned
Yeah
My apologies to those that are doing their best to run good agencies but this is what it feels like with a lot of them.
i am on the books with over 6! i get about 3 ,4 days a week with one at arla and the other driver hire in leeds doing council work…thats if you get any!
take today i was not working got a call from , it was 2.45 driver hire " can you get to cross green in leeds for 430?" twilight shift so i says ok, its 20 mile from me and traffic is a joke but i needed the money, any how on way phone goes " just checking you wont be late ok " so i am about 5 miles away from the depot phone goes " have you set off yet?" err yes i will be there in about 15 min why?
silly ■■■■■ knew i had set off cos they called 10 min before! " oh well they have cancelled" 
you what? well you owe £20 2 hr sit in traffic and petrol money you ■■■■■■■ pricks! 
Well arrived for my appointment thinking it would be a 1 2 1. Ended up with 4 of us filling in the forms, my cynacism (excuse spelling) was raising its head.
Turns out they have got the contract back so need a few drivers asap, she asked if I was available tomorrow (which I am) but she would have to check if they were still short or if they had re arranged things. Phoned me up around 5ish to say they were sorted but she would try to get me in on Saturday, if not should be Monday with regular work. Sounds promising but lets wait and see.
One thing that did surprise me however was that they pay mileage to and from the job at 40p per mile, and they pay £5 for breakfast and £6 for lunch per day. With a 30 mile round trip thats an extra £23 a day on top of the £7 (for 8 hours) and (£10.50 overtime). Not that bad compared to some agencies.
Proof is in the pudding. Lets see if they deliver.
lefkasman:
They may be advertising in thier windows but they sure as hell aint advertising in the local papers any more. Is that cos it costs money?
Of course it is, and you’d be surprised how much. Newspaper advertising is expensive, and the “non-specific” ads (ie the ones that just say ‘drivers always required’ like the ones in the window) are the first to be pulled when times get tight. The only purpose such ads serve is to remind you that the agency still exists and also to remind you of its phone number.
I don’t know how many times you have to spell it out on here before it sinks in, but for the benefit of those who still don’t quite understand, it is no more illegal for agencies to advertise for people to register for non-specified positions than it is for carpet shops to have a permanent “sale” on.
Just because there is no client demand now doesn’t mean there won’t be, and it would be utterly pointless to take all the ads down and just put 'em up every time you get a contract, apart from the fact that it’d be too late!
As Nick 2008 rightly says, the agencies are using the current lull in trade to get more people onto their books ready for when it picks up again. That is simple common sense and it comes under the heading of forward planning, which most of you moan about for being non-existent in transport! .
If it’s any consolation, my own experience over 25 years is that it’s far more worthwhile doing the rounds of agencies, even if it means filling in the same forms and being asked the same daft questions (please remember very few consultants are ex-drivers) than it is doing the same stuff at the laughably named Job-Centre.
Slackeye, yes it is frustrating for you but remember the agency don’t get paid for last-minute cancellations either!
gnasty gnome:
As Nick 2008 rightly says, the agencies are using the current lull in trade to get more people onto their books ready for when it picks up again. That is simple common sense and it comes under the heading of forward planning, which most of you moan about for being non-existent in transport!
That in itself wouldn’t be too bad if the agency said ,
“We have no work at all at the moment but would you mind spending half a day coming to see us and filling in the forms so that if by any chance it does pick up and we cant find anyone else to do it we may give you a call. However the chances are that you will never hear from us again and we aren’t even going to bother chasing up the references you have given us.”
jonah65:
gnasty gnome:
As Nick 2008 rightly says, the agencies are using the current lull in trade to get more people onto their books ready for when it picks up again. That is simple common sense and it comes under the heading of forward planning, which most of you moan about for being non-existent in transport!That in itself wouldn’t be too bad if the agency said ,
“We have no work at all at the moment but would you mind spending half a day coming to see us and filling in the forms so that if by any chance it does pick up and we cant find anyone else to do it we may give you a call. However the chances are that you will never hear from us again and we aren’t even going to bother chasing up the references you have given us.”
And of course if they did say that you’d be first in the queue to sign up with 'em wouldn’t you?
Whilst I’m the first to admit that running an agency is not exactly rocket science, it never fails to surprise me how naive some drivers are as to their workings.
Let’s try an analogy. Most of us here, I’d guess, are of the opinion that McDonalds’ food is greasy warmed over rubbish that deservedly merits the nickname of “junk food” but on the strength of their fantasy-land adverts you’re still happy to eat it and let your kids eat it; yet if McDonalds’ advertising featured a sulky spotty-faced teenager grunting and scowling at you whilst trying to understand the complexities of a request for a Big Mac meal with regular fries (which is the reality) you’d never set foot in there again would you?
It’s called marketing;get used to it! 
I work for a small agency run by a husband and wife. He used to be a driver and still did some work if they were struggling for staff.
A couple of firms pulled the plug on them for now and a few others have laid full time drivers off, so the agency work has dropped off to just the odd shift.
However, they were straight down the line and told me the situation. They have stopped recruiting and don’t advertise jobs that don’t exist. They still have drivers ringing to see if there is work, but they have just been taking names in case things do start to pick up.
I have tried other agencies locally but just get the usual false promises.
Fortunately I don’t rely totally on the agency to earn a living. I am going to stick with this agency, as it seems to be one of the few honest ones about.
Advertising
Greatness
Except
No
Contracts
Yet